Turbine-driven torpedo.



G.C.DAVISON. TURBINE DRIVEN TORPEDO. APPLIOATION FILED JULY24,1911

8 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

ATTORNEYS Patented J an. 26, 1915.

.G. C. DAVISON. TURBINE DRIVEN TORPEDO. APPLICATION FILED JULY24,19U

1, 126,1 83. Patented Jan.26, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I i INVEN TOR MM m w y h 6,6700 0w ATTORNEYS G. G. DAVISON. TURBINE DRIVEN TORPEDO. APPLICATION FILED JULY 24, 1911,

1,126,183. Patented Jan.26, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 IT: 2 Wmmw I %TATE% PATENT @Fhlitfilrt GREGORY CALDWELL DAVISON, OF NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT, ASsIGNOIt TO ELECTRIC BOAT COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.. A ATION vQF NEVJ,

JERSEY.

TURBINE-DRIVEN TOBPEDO.

Application filed July 24, 1911.

- To all-10710992 it may concern Be it known that I, GREGORY C. DAVISON,

a citizen of the United States, residing at tains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to the general con struction and arangernent of the driving mechanism of automobile torpedoes, especially those driuen b y turbines or other forms of rotary engines.

-The automobile torpedo requires perfect kinetic symmetry to avoid deviation from a calculated path and the gyroscopic effect of the rotating parts within the shell should be neutralized. So also, should the propellers and exhaust gases which act upon the surrounding fluid medium through which the torpedo takes its course be so opposed and arranged as to avoid erratic action.

The usual practice heretofore in the arrangement of the propellers has been to place two oppositely revolving wheels in tandem in which case they are required to be nicely proportioned for a given speed and of difl erent diameter and pitch.

The better arrangement of the two like opposed wheels arranged upon opposite sides of the axis of the topedo has been used in a few cases notably in the Howell torpedo described in the Howell Patent No. 311,325 granted January 27, 1885, in which no fluid engine was employed and in a modified form shown in Figure 2 of Patent No. 858,266 granted to me June 25, 1907, where two turbines side by side and directly connected to the propeller shafts were shown.

My present invention comprehends the employmentof a two stage turbine, that is, practically two turbines, in tandem, the rotors of which run in opposite directions and are, by balanced reducing gearing in which gyroscopic action has been neutralized, geared to one another (so that they run synchronously) and to two synchronously rotating propeller shafts driving opposed propellers mounted upon opposite sides of the axis of the torpedo. And-it also comprehends the piping of the exhaust gases through the after part of the torpedo Specification of Le tters Patent.

Patented Jan. 26. till 5? Serial No. 640,338.

shell to anoutlet at the tail this outlet being given the form of a long narrow slit located in .the plane of the of the torpedo. midway between the propellers,- The narrow slit form of the outlet breaks up the exliau-st gases into small bubbles'which do not have the erratic discharge effect upon the water noticed in the case of circular exhaust openings of large area under wi1te1zri-- 2i i t I have illustrated the after partof aztorpedo embodying this inventiou'in' the accompanying drawings in.which". r "1' Fig. 1, is a plan viewshowinghthe shell cutaway .exposi-ngxthe interioii driving meclia-nism';Fig.-2, is an elevation of'the same Fig. 3, is a horizontal central section in detail of the turbine and gearing; Fi'gm'l. is a vertical central section of the gearing; Fig. 5, is across section online 5-'5;of Fig. '2 taken in the direction of the arrows.-

Referring .to the drawings A designates the shell ofthetopedo which terminates in a tail consisting of the horizontal web 13 supporting the horizontal ordiving rudder. 7 and the shaft tunnels b,'and the hollow vertical'web C supporting the vertical."rudder 0' and which is the exhaust'terininall "This web C (see Fig. 5) is open to thesea at its "web C and two'like pipesd and d leadthc -exhaiust from the turbine chamber E, in-

closed by partitions a and a and the shell A, to the check-valve (Z. The check valve (l is provided for the usual purpose of preventing water from entering the turbine chamber E through the exhaust passage when the torpedo, at the end of the run, is lying still' in the Water. This arrangement of the exhaust piping excludes the exhaust gases from theafter part of the torpedo where the steering devices, etc. (indicated in Fig. 2 by their supporting bases) are located.

The turbine consists of the two rotors. F and G, which are driven in opposite direction by the suitable impingement thereon of the motive fluid, and these rotors F and G drive the bevel pinions f and g respectively. The pinions f and g, running in opposite directions,- both mesh with bevel gears 71, and '5 which drive the shafts H and I and compel synchronism of the rotors. Bevel pinions 72. and 75 respectively mounted on shaftsH and I mesh with bevel. gears j and it on the propeller shafts J and K driving these shafts in opposite directions. The propeller shafts J and K pass out of the shell A through the shaft tunnels b and carry the opposed propeller wheels L and hi on their outer ends.

It will be noted that each wheel of the gear groupis duplicated by another wheel rotating atthe same speed in the opposite direction neutralizing their moments of inertia and eliminating gyroscopic action, and where, as in the case of the pinions h and i, the gears lie unequal distances from the axial line of the shell, the weights. of the gears and their shafts should be proportioned to effect kinetic symmetry.

It is obvious that more stages may be used in the turbine if desired.

This arrangement of' tandem rotors geared down to parallel non-centric shafts is especially well adapted to the accepted form of torpedo body and afiords the opportunity for establishing perfect kinetic symmetry.

What I claim is:

1. In an automobile torpedo, the combination of oppositely revolving turbine rotors arranged in tandem, oppositely revolving propeller shafts arranged/(symmetrically on opposite sides of the axis of the torpedo, and intermeshing reduction gearing-having kinetic symmetry and arranged to establish driving connection between said rotors and said shafts and maintain synchronous rotation of said shafts.

2. In an automobile torpedo, the combination of oppositely revolving turbine rotors, oppositely revolving propeller wheels arranged upon opposite sides of the axial plane of said torpedo, intermeshing reduction gearing between and serving to synchronously connect and drive said wheels, and an exhaust outlet having the form of a.

thin fissure located in the axial plane of said torpedo and midway between said propeller wheels.

3. In an automobile torpedo, the combination of two non-centric propellers and an exhaust outlet having the form of a thin fissure, located midway there-between.

4. In an automobile torpedo, the combination with the after body of said torpedo of an engine chamberforward of said after body, two propeller shafts, driving mechanism for said shafts within said engine chamber, and an exhaust conduit leading from said engine chamber through said after body to a point at the stern midway between said propeller shafts, said conduit adapted to isolate the exhaust gases from said after body.

5. In an automobile torpedo, the combination of two propeller wheels mounted on op- .4

posite sides of an axial plane of said torpedo and a fissure-like exhaust nozzle midway between and perpendicular to the plane of mounting of said propeller wheels.

6. In an automobile torpedo, an outer shell terminating in a hollow vertical fin having a narrow open rear end, serving as'- Copies of this'patent may be obtained for live cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G." 

